Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/28/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (-120) Pittsburgh (-111)

Alec Mills and the Chicago Cubs (67-89, 4th in NL Central) travel to PNC Park on Tuesday where they'll meet the Pittsburgh Pirates (58-97, 5th in NL Central). The moneyline on this game has the Cubs coming in at -120 and the Pirates are at -111. The over/under opens at 9. The expected starting pitchers will be Alec Mills and Mitch Keller.

Chicago has a slugging rate of .407 and have struck out 1,552 times, while drawing a walk on 474 occasions. They have accumulated 643 runs batted in in addition to 1,197 hits over the course of the season, and their team batting average is sitting at .234. The Cubs have accumulated 213 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 205 baseballs out of the park. They have a total of 675 runs scored while holding a team OBP of .309. As a team, the Chicago Cubs are earning 4.3 runs per game, which ranks them 21st in baseball.

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Cubs pitchers have relinquished 230 long balls and also 818 total runs (28th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 576 hitters and their FIP is 4.90 as a unit over the course of the season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.29 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.41. The Cubs have a team earned run average of 4.94 this season (27th in the league), and they have struck out 1,317 hitters.

Cubs pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on 165 times in addition to having 165 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have accumulated 73 holds on the year (16th in MLB). The Cubs bullpen have recorded a save rate of 70.4% and has entered the game in 128 save situations. They have accumulated 38 saves this season and have blown 16 of 54 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 271 runners for the season and 35.1% of those players ended up scoring. The Cubs have sent 581 relievers to the hill on the season.

The Cubs have transformed 69.0% of balls in play into outs out of their 12,258 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 22nd in the majors. The Chicago Cubs have 4,086 putouts so far this season, in addition to 1,495 assists and 84 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .985 which ranks 15th in MLB, and have 999 double plays.

Mills (12-13 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a FIP of 4.49 while he has gone up against 972 opposing hitters during his time in the major leagues. He has given up 224 hits (8.8 hits per 9 innings) and has 72 walks. His ERA is 4.47 (114 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.289. Mills has taken the ball for 229 innings and has tallied 197 K's during his career.

Pittsburgh has knocked in 121 home runs for the season as well as 541 RBIs. They have recorded 232 doubles, while getting a free base 506 times as well as recording 578 runs. The Pittsburgh Pirates have an OBP of .307 and a batting average of .234 for the season. The Pirates hold a team slugging % of .362 and they are recording 3.73 runs per contest (30th in baseball). They have been called out on strikes on 1,267 occasions (26th in MLB) and have earned 1,197 base knocks.

The Pittsburgh pitching staff have surrendered 788 runs so far this year while holding an ERA of 5.05 (749 earned runs yielded). They have allowed 202 homers and they concede 5.32 runs per 9 innings (27th in the league). The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.425 with a FIP of 4.72 as a unit on the campaign. Their K/BB ratio is 2.17 (1,253 strikeouts against 578 free passes). They are currently ranked 22nd in the league as a staff in total hits conceded with 1,323.

With 119 save situations, the Pirates have amassed 71 holds and also 22 blown saves. Pittsburgh has had relief pitchers take the mound in 45 save opportunities and they have earned 23 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 126 times in high leverage situations and on 115 occasions with runners on base. Pittsburgh relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 33.9% out of 192 inherited base runners. They are currently ranked 27th in MLB holding a save percentage of 51.1%, and they have dispatched 551 relief pitchers to the mound this year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 132 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .988 (4th in professional baseball). The Pirates have racked up 1,321 assists, 67 errors and have earned 4,003 putouts over the course of the season. In 12,009 innings on the diamond, the Pirates are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 68.9% (23rd in professional baseball).

During his pro baseball career, Keller has allowed 200 base hits while tallying 168 punch outs in 163 innings pitched. Keller (7-17 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a 5.90 earned run average while allowing 11.0 hits per nine innings. He has given up a total of 107 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.708 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.3. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.13 and he has gone up against 749 opposing hitters in his career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-111)

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